) Due to an aging workforce, educational systems worldwide are experiencing or will
soon face significant teacher shortages, posing challenges for educational policies and
institutional sustainability (UNESCO, 2024). To address these issues and support longer
working lives, attention has turned to perceived work ability (WA)—an individual's
subjective assessment of their physical and mental capacities to meet job demands and
navigate cognitive, emotional, and organizational challenges in teaching (Hlado &
Harvankova, 2024; McCarthy et al., 2024). This study examines antecedents of
perceived teacher work ability (PTWA), contributing to theoretical frameworks,
informing research, and providing practical recommendations for PTWA interventions.
Drawing on the job demands-resources (JD-R) model and WA research (Bakker et al.,
2005; Cadiz et al., 2019), we examined key influences on PTWA: job demands, job
resources, and burnout. Our study advances the literature by incorporating work-life
conflict—a determinant not traditionally included in the JD-R model (Demerouti et al.,
2001; Demerouti & Bakker, 2011). We conducted a two-wave longitudinal study among
841 Czech primary and lower secondary teachers (86.1% female) from 44 schools, aged
22 to 76 years (M = 45.9, SD = 10.8). The first wave (T1) was conducted in fall 2023,
followed by the second (T2) approximately 12 months later. Structural equation
modeling (SEM) was employed to estimate a comprehensive PTWA model.

Initial findings from T1 data (Hlado et al., 2025) provided mixed support for the JD-R
model and WA literature among Czech teachers. Specifically, job demands
(quantitative, qualitative, and emotional), job resources (supervisor support, coworker
support, and autonomy), work-life conflict, and burnout interact to shape PTWA. These
findings will be discussed, supplemented by an analysis of longitudinal data,
highlighting implications for theory, research, and practice in addressing teacher
shortages through evidence-based interventions.